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Dietary fiber is a family of components, which are found throughout the food supply. To realize the benefits of dietary fiber and to address the extreme gap between recommendations and intake, it is important to consume dietary fiber from a variety of sources. To address the concerns of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, this article reviews the gap between recommended and actual intakes and outlines the definitions of fiber that are operative worldwide, sources of dietary fiber, and strategies to improve intake with fiber-rich foods.

There is more to dietary fiber than bulk alone—a rapid review of some of its benefits

Allison Dilzer, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian. She received her MS in food science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she is currently a PhD candidate within the food science department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Julie M. Jones, PhD, LN, CNS, is a board-certified nutrition specialist and licensed nutritionist. She received her BS degree from Iowa State University and her PhD in Home Economics and Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. Currently, she is a distinguished scholar and professor emeritus of nutrition in the Department of Family, Consumer and Nutritional Sciences at the St Catherine University in St Paul, Minnesota.

Marie E. Latulippe, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian. She received her MS in Nutrition Science from Pennsylvania State University. Currently, she serves as a senior scientific program manager for the European branch of theInternational Life Sciences Institute in Brussels, Belgium.

A.D. was supported by a US Department of Agriculture National Needs Fellowship. J.M.J. received a modest honorarium for her work on this articlefrom the International Life Sciences Institute North America Technical Committee on Carbohydrates.